Lacoste's New Campaign Features an Endangered Species Endemic to Cebu

The second run of Lacoste's Save Our Species has just been unveiled. For this year's edition, the French brand's iconic crocodile is giving up its spot again to bring awareness to some of the most threatened species in the world. The limited-edition run of polo shirts is part of the brand's three-year partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Lacoste created 10 polo shirts to highlight 10 threatened species, and the number of polos produced represents the number remaining in the wild. A total of 3,520 polo shirts will be made for the 3,520 specimens out there.

One of the species that Lacoste is highlighting this year is the damselfly, which is endemic to Cebu. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but are smaller and slimmer with eye-catching blue eyes. Considered the most endangered insect species in the Philippine archipelago, the damselfly has been included in the IUCN's World's 100 Most Threatened Species.

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The damselfly was discovered by a research team, headed by Franz Seidenschwarz, from the University of San Carlos in 1998. In July 2000, the numbers of the species were found to occur in low numbers in the Tabunan Forest near Mt. Manunggal. Today, the species is estimated to have only 50 specimens in the wild.

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On May 22, the International Day for Biological Diversity, Lacoste stores from around the world will each highlight a threatened species. The profits from lacoste.com and each of these stores will go toward the IUCN and its efforts to conserve threatened wildlife.